Chapter 116: Lightning!

By the shore of the East Sea, the evening breeze rustled gently.

It was dusk when Fang Junmei arrived, and as night began to fall, he decided not to rush across the ocean to the Pan Kingdom. Instead, he chose to rest for the night and continue his journey the following day. Naturally, he released the white horse.

A man carrying a sword, walking alongside a white horse—it was a scene so ordinary in the human world that even a commoner would not think twice about it.

"Brother Horse, where exactly do you come from, and what kind of species are you, to possess the ability to traverse space?"

Bathed in the evening glow, Fang Junmei strolled across the soft sand with a relaxed expression, looking for all the world like a common man enjoying a moment of peace far from the bloodshed of the cultivation world.

"A secret. You are not worthy of knowing," the white horse replied with a haughty, mysterious, and somewhat disdainful air.

Fang Junmei’s good mood vanished instantly. His face darkened, and he felt a sudden urge to clench his fist and give the creature a few solid thumps.

"Well, surely you can tell me your name. Since we will be together from now on, it would be better if we could look out for one another. I can’t exactly go around not being able to call you by name," Fang Junmei said, clearly annoyed.

At these words, the white horse’s gaze dimmed, and a look of sorrow clouded its features. A long silence ensued. Fang Junmei, sensing the gravity of the moment, did not press him.

"Not long after I was born, my kin suffered a great catastrophe. The others must all be dead. My parents had not yet given me a name; they hid me in a safe place before returning to the battle, and they must have perished as well. So—I have no name."

Fang Junmei nodded in realization and asked, "How do you remember all of this?"

The white horse cast a sidelong glance at him. "Our demon beast clan has secret methods to imprint memories directly into our bloodlines."

Fang Junmei nodded again, pondering for a moment before saying, "Since it was a great catastrophe, there must have been formidable enemies. Your spatial abilities are already so impressive; your parents and kin must have been even more powerful, so it goes without saying how strong your adversaries were. If they wanted to eliminate your entire line, they certainly wouldn't have let you go. You must be cautious in the future."

"Do you think you need to teach me that?" the white horse replied impatiently, acting like a rebellious youth.

Fang Junmei smiled slightly and said, "Since you don't have a name, why don't I give you one?"

The white horse, clearly longing for a name, showed a flicker of expectation in its eyes and did not refuse. Fang Junmei knit his brows in thought.

As his gaze drifted toward the distant sea, he saw bolts of lightning descending from the sky like dancing silver snakes, their speed blinding as they illuminated the dark horizon. An idea struck him. "You are so fast—why don't you call yourself Lightning?"

The white horse’s eyes first sparkled with joy, but then it scoffed, "How could the speed of mere lightning compare to mine? However—" Its tone shifted. "The name is passable. From now on, I shall be called Lightning."

*Neigh—!*

The final sound was filled with excitement. The white horse let out a long, piercing cry toward the distant sea beneath the lightning. A look of reminiscence and fiery intensity burned in its eyes. "Father, Mother, Lightning will surely return one day to avenge you!"

The long cry was like a funeral dirge, its mane flying in the wind. Watching its grief and intensity, Fang Junmei was overcome with emotion.

He then thought of himself. Lightning at least knew who its parents were and where it came from, whereas he knew nothing. When the Sword-Carrying Elder had found him, there had been no letters or tokens in his swaddling clothes, and apart from those exceptionally thick, handsome eyebrows that looked as if they had been painted on, he had no birthmarks to speak of. Moreover, if his parents had been mortals, they would have long since passed away, leaving him with no leads to follow.

With a soft sigh, Fang Junmei cleared his mind.

***

After walking for another cup of tea's time, the man and the horse stopped to rest on the exceptionally clean beach. Fang Junmei gathered wild fruit and grilled some fish, eating with great relish.

Lightning had always preferred raw food, but after experiencing the grilled delicacies Fang Junmei had learned to prepare under the influence of Song Shede, it found them incredibly delicious. It devoured the fish in a few bites, not even minding the bones. It then went into the sea to catch more large fish, only stopping after it had consumed most of the secret seasonings Song Shede had gifted to Fang Junmei.

Seeing Fang Junmei drinking wine, it begged for a flask, found the taste delightful, and shamelessly demanded more. The scent of wine and roasted meat filled the air above the beach.

Once satiated, Fang Junmei lay back on the sand, gazing at the star-filled sky. He teased Lightning, "They say that after eating someone's food and drinking their wine, one should feel a bit indebted. Having eaten my fish and drunk my wine, shouldn't you consider teaching me a thing or two about the Way of Space?"

"A few flasks of wine and a few fish are hardly enough. You should be prepared to serve me for the rest of your life!" Lightning hummed.

"I'll keep you well-fed. Now, tell me," Fang Junmei laughed.

Lightning’s expression turned calm, its gaze growing deep. After a moment of contemplation, it finally said, "You have been mistaken about one thing. My ability to use the Way of Space is not because I learned it, but because it is an innate instinct of my race."

"What do you mean?" Fang Junmei, stunned, sat bolt upright.

Lightning continued, "Different races of demon beasts have different innate racial talents bestowed by the heavens. My kin was granted the talent for space. As long as our bloodline is strong and pure enough, we can manifest it."

"You... you don't have to learn it?" Fang Junmei asked in disbelief.

"Racial innate divine abilities, as well as the powerful techniques deduced by our ancestors, must be learned, of course. But a racial talent is born with us, just as a fish is born knowing how to swim. My race is born knowing how to traverse space. With this innate instinct, I can easily learn more complex spatial techniques."

I see!

Fang Junmei finally understood, but he also felt foolish. He had no such innate talent—how was he supposed to learn? Based on Lightning's demeanor, it was clearly not a sophisticated teacher. Seeing Fang Junmei’s dejected look, a triumphant glint appeared in Lightning's eyes.

"So, how am I supposed to learn now?"

"I don't know."

Fang Junmei, feeling even more depressed, fell backward onto the sand.

***

"Haha—" A strange laugh rang out. Lightning continued, "Although I cannot share my innate instincts with you, I do know some interpretations and cultivation methods for the Way of Space from the detailed manuals of the high-level techniques in my clan. I cannot pass on our clan's actual spatial techniques, but the basic principles and methods..." It finished the sentence with a look of smug satisfaction.

"Tell me quickly!" Fang Junmei’s eyes lit up with joy, realizing he had been toyed with.

Lightning laughed again and set out a series of demands that gave Fang Junmei a massive headache. After much back-and-forth, the two finally got down to business. Lightning was willing to teach him not because Fang Junmei was now its master, but out of gratitude for having saved its life three times.

"Do you know how many branches of the Way of Space there are?" Lightning asked, turning serious.

"I do not," Fang Junmei answered honestly.

"Then how can I teach you? Besides, there are so many, and I don't know all of them myself. My parents left me many techniques that I don't even fully understand yet."

Fang Junmei felt a headache coming on.

Lightning thought for a moment and had an idea. "You said that to learn the Way of Space, you need to cultivate a specific technique. Recite the mantra of that technique to me, and let me see what kind of Way of Space is embedded within it."

Fang Junmei nodded and was about to recite it, but suddenly remembered something. He laughed bitterly, "I cannot. When I was in the sect, I took an oath to the Human Ancestor. Unless I receive the Sect Master's permission, I cannot pass this technique on to anyone else in any form."

"How troublesome..." Lightning muttered.

Fang Junmei thought again and said, "However, I can describe the effects that this technique is meant to create. You can see if you can deduce which branch of the Way of Space it requires."

Lightning nodded, agreeing.

Fang Junmei described his understanding of the Hidden Star Sword Technique in detail. Lightning listened, its eyes flashing with intensity. It remained silent for a long time, lost in thought, with a rare look of seriousness. Fang Junmei did not rush it, waiting quietly.

***

"It is the Way of Spatial Distortion."

After a full cup of tea’s time, Lightning finally spoke, its voice exceptionally firm. "There are many spatial methods to create an independent small space to trap and kill an opponent, but your sword technique shouldn't require such a profound level of space. Therefore, it should be the lower-level Way of Spatial Distortion."

Fang Junmei nodded in realization.

Lightning continued, "However, the Way of Spatial Distortion cannot create a completely sealed and independent space. The space you create must be semi-closed, with a hint of flaw or loophole, but as long as you seize the opportunity, it is enough to kill an opponent."

Fang Junmei nodded again and asked, "How can I comprehend the Way of Spatial Distortion?"

"Space is everywhere!"

A sharp light suddenly burst from Lightning's eyes. It kicked out fiercely into the void in front of Fang Junmei.

*Whoosh!*

The kick sent a blast of wind whistling, blowing Fang Junmei’s robes and hair into disarray, but more importantly, an invisible, eerie ripple surged forward. Fang Junmei had felt this strange ripple many times while chasing and playing with Lightning.

"Do you feel this ripple? That is the spatial ripple formed by spatial distortion!"

Lightning’s expression was rare in its seriousness, like a grandmaster of a field—and perhaps it was. Although it was still weak, it possessed an incredible heritage.

Fang Junmei nodded slightly and asked, "What must I do?"

Lightning gave a wicked grin. "Try kicking it and show me."

Fang Junmei kicked out. The wind whistled, but there was nothing else.

"Why did my kick create a spatial ripple, yet yours did not?" Lightning asked.

Fang Junmei was speechless. If he knew why, he wouldn't need to ask for advice.

Lightning's gaze grew increasingly profound. "Because—in my eyes, space is composed of tangible points converging together. My kick landed on a cluster of these points, thus triggering the spatial ripple. But in your eyes, space is illusory. You cannot see any points, so naturally, you cannot kick them, and thus you cannot trigger the spatial ripple!"

Fang Junmei felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His spirit trembled, and he stood frozen, unable to speak, his eyes filled with contemplation.

The door to the Way of Space was slowly opening before him.